The ground is warming up and my passion fruit plant should be coming on quite well but it isn’t. I am concerned it is going to die like the last one I planted. It gets all the morning sun but does not get it in the afternoon. What can I do?

Answer

Passion fruit can be tricky and where you grow them is absolutely critical. They are very site specific, and two things that can kill them are frost and having ‘wet feet’.
First, inspect your existing plant carefully and check for signs of life, if the stems have a brown, almost clear look, and leaves are brown or transparent then the plant is dead or dying and you will need to begin again. If the previous plant also died at this site, so it would be wise to choose a new location.
The ideal site is sunny, north facing, sheltered, and preferably with a wall or structure you can train the plant to grow up. Passion fruit are relatively inexpensive to buy, so you can also try planting another two or three at yearly intervals in different sites to see which location is the most successful.
The ideal time to plant passion fruit in Christchurch is Labour Weekend when the soil has warmed up. Add plenty of Daltons Compost to the hole you are planting into, and put a good layer of Daltons Garden Mulch & Grow on top to help protect the plant and soil.
Passion fruit are heavy feeders and require regular applications of fertiliser throughout the growing period. Apply Daltons Citrus & Fruit Fert every 3-4 weeks from early November through until mid December, recommencing in March to mid April.